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Thursday, 08 July 2004 |
  Frank Mansfield (Warren Oates) has found his calling. He's got a gift for picking out and training the best fighting roosters. He also has a tendency to brag. One night he puts his money where his mouth is and loses not only all his cash and his prize bird, but a chance at glory: a coveted cockfighting medal. Realizing that his bragging has cost him dearly, Frank vows to not speak again until he wins that medal. So begins a silence that lasts several years.
Frank bottoms out when he loses what little he has left to friendly rival Jack Burke (Harry Dean Stanton). He then decides to return home where, desperate for money, he sells his house out from under his live-in sister and her husband. He also takes the opportunity to reunite with old girlfriend Mary Elizabeth (Patricia Pearcy). Mary Elizabeth loves Frank but is tired of waiting for him. Frank loves her in return but he just can't get his mind off that medal. And he's anxious to get back in the game. He finally gets a break when he forms a partnership with his old friend Omar Baradansky (Richard B. Schull), who is better at handling the buisness end of things. Things begin looking up. But what Frank doesn't realize is that the closer he gets to that medal, the further away from Mary Elizabeth he gets.
Director Monte Hellman, cinematographer Nestor Almendros, and writer Charles Willieford (from his book) have crafted a unique little film centering on a subject that many find repulsive. That Cockfighter is so good is a tribute to their talents. And what can be said of Warren Oates? Grizzled, taciturn, and stubborn to the end, he accepts his fate with a smile and makes this movie a winner.
Starring: Warren Oates, Harry Dean Stanton, Ed Begley Jr. Richard B Schull.
Director: Monte Hellman
Studio: New World Pictures
Rated: R
Running Time: 83 mins
Release: 1974
Reviewer: Steve Gonzales |
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